Reviews

The Illegal by Lawrence Hill

penchant's review against another edition

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2.0

Do I preface this by saying, I loved The Book of Negroes? Loved it!

The Illegal is preachy and moralistic in that uniquely Canadian way. Every character, every country, every event, everything is reduced to black and white simplicity. There is no grey. The "good" are great. The "bad" are evil. It's all too much.

bettyjowerthmann's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

meganleebee's review against another edition

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3.0

Tiny spoilers.

Like a lot of the other reviews out there.. the fictional countries threw me off. Why not just use real places? The story was very farfetched. I have never heard of a race with winnings of 25 grand?

I liked the story of Keita and his father, that felt real. I feel like it went downhill once the government conspiracy was introduced.

It was wrapped up with a neat little bow. Not realistic.

jacobamol's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

annettefunnycello's review against another edition

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2.0

Crashingly dull - now, perhaps that's because I read the audiobook. Mind you, the upside of the audiobook is that the narrator has a beautiful singing voice that really made the country songs pop. But this is a book that should/could have been half the length. Whatever has happened to strong editing? why is it so often absent now?

lisahowe27's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

liznew's review against another edition

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3.0

This book wasn't as captivating as Book of Negros, and everything was wrapped up very quickly in the end. A simple summer read, but not a lot of substance.

colleend's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

jbennet's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

bec_and_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0